“Stay Away From The Village People”
Text: Mark 8:22-26; Luke 4:18
I. Takes Us Out of Comfort Zone
The people bring Jesus a blind man and ask Jesus to heal him. Notice what Jesus did. The Bible says Jesus took the man out of the village. I am sure the blind man was comfortable in the village. He felt safe in the village. He knew the tree stump was 3 steps to the right and the fountain was 4 to the left. He was in his comfort zone. Jesus removes the crutch of comfort. Jesus removes him from his familiar. Jesus will you do that to you. You come to him with a problem and a situation. His first step will be to remove you from your comfort zone. Some of you need to be taken out of the village. You are accustom to this type of worship, these songs, this beat and Jesus wants to take you by the hand and lead you into an unfamiliar place. God wants to expand your box. Maybe your healing, your touch will come through a hymn. Maybe your change will come alone rather than in a crowd. Jesus removes us from our comfort zone. Get ready to be escorted away from the village. If you are comfortable I encourage you to take a walk this morning. Take a walk out of the village. Let Jesus make you uncomfortable!
II. Doesn’t Say a Word
Don’t you think the man was wondering what was going on? I mean the people bring him to Jesus in the village and without a word he takes him on a journey into the wilderness. Jesus, I don’t mean to complain but I need a healing not exercise. I need a touch not a walk. I am sure the man was a little freaked. In his blindness, he has learned to rely on his hearing and yet Jesus doesn’t say a word. Away from the noise of the village and away from the crowd of the people, he just begins the walk. Jesus, can you give me some idea of where we are going? I am uncomfortable in this silence Lord, where are we going? Jesus doesn’t say a word until he gets him where he wants him. Some of you are uncomfortable in the silence. You have been begging God to give you a word. You have chased prophets and prophecies. Let me know the direction you want me to go in my life? What do you want me to do? All the while, silence. Relax; Jesus is just leading you to get you where he wants you. Trust him through the silence. Trust him to lead you to the right spot. Trust him enough to follow whether he says anything or not. He is ordering your steps.
III. Transparent Enough to Ask for Another Touch
This has always been a strange or peculiar portion of Scripture to me. What happened in this situation? Did Jesus have a power shortage? Did Jesus let down on his prayer life that day and find himself without enough resources to do a complete job? Was he just having a bad day? Did he lose the anointing that he spoke about in Luke? I mean on at least 6 other occasions in Scripture (Matt. 9:27-31, 12:22, 15:30, 20:29-34, 21:14; John 9) he touched and healed one or several men once and they were totally and completely healed of the same sickness that this individual suffered. He didn’t have to do something else. He didn’t touch them again. He didn’t have to try a second time. Maybe he missed his fasting day. Maybe he was drained from the other miracles. You show me one other account where Jesus had to touch someone twice. Show me one other instance where Jesus’ initial touch wasn’t sufficient. According to the centurion, Jesus had enough power to merely speak and healing would take place and without ever stepping foot in the house the servant was made whole. In one instance a woman with an issue of blood touched him and was healed instantly. He didn’t even do the touching and a complete healing took place. And out of nowhere Jesus had to touch a second time. Why? I have come to the conclusion that in reality what happened is that Jesus was taking an opportunity to teach us a lesson. Jesus was teaching us something.
Jesus asks the man what he sees. The man responds to this question by saying, “I can see, but I see fuzzy. Men look like walking trees.” Now the man is healed compared to what he was prior to his experience with Jesus. Compared to his total blindness he is much better. He can see shapes, light, and forms. He sees what he had never seen before. Probably feels much better now.
Most of us would have stopped right there. We would have been satisfied. Besides beggars can’t be choosers. I mean if I was blind before and now I can see partially shouldn’t I just be thankful. Compared to complete and utter darkness, fuzziness is pretty good. If I made it before when I was blind couldn’t I do even better now that I have partial sight? I used to do drugs but now I am better because I only smoke cigarettes. I used to hate everyone now I only hate one race or one person. I used to think about that constantly, now I only struggle once a week. I can’t ask for too much. I’m better. I’m o.k. Fake it. Thanks Jesus, that first touch was great, get up from the altar. Before I came to the altar I couldn’t walk and now I only walk with a limp and we are satisfied. We don’t want to tell the pastor, our friends, our prayer partners that we aren’t whole. We don’t want them to know we are still struggling with the same sin, habit, and situation that they helped us pray for last week, month, or year. And so we walk away with partial healing. We walk away seeing things fuzzy. Satisfied with our partial victory.
I think that after the first touch, Jesus asked the man what he saw to discover whether the man would be honest about his condition. Would he be willing to live with better rather than best? Would he settle for partial rather than whole? Would he be satisfied with fuzzy or would he hold out for clearly? When the man is honest enough to tell Jesus he needs another touch, I am better but the work isn’t complete, I am better but I still need another touch it was at this point that Jesus touches him again and heals him completely. The man is healed completely when he responds honestly about his lack of vision and sight.
It is when we take an honest look at our condition and respond honestly to Jesus’ inquiry that we will be totally healed. When we don’t allow pride to keep us from admitting to those praying for us that we aren’t complete. When we will admit that we haven’t been completely healed. When we are transparent before God and man about our condition and we refuse to live halfway healed, halfway delivered, halfway free Jesus will touch us and make us whole. When we get fed up and tired of living with the limp, the cough, the hate, the habit, the hindrance, the tendency and we will drop the charade and stop walking around in fuzzy, half-sightedness we will be healed. When we tire of bumping into the same walls, the same obstacles, the same roadblocks to growth we will be made whole. When we are honest enough to say Jesus I need another touch we will be healed. Some of you need another touch. You’re better than you were but you need more! Say, “Touch me again.”
IV. The Test
Now notice how Jesus tests the man’s healing. The true test to whether or not he was whole was how he saw people. That is the same test that will reveal whether you are seeing clearly or not. If you have been transparent enough to get a second and healing touch you will see people correctly. You will suddenly see things clearly. Some of you will realize that those people you thought were helping you, that boyfriend, that girlfriend, that clique that you thought was helping you get closer to God in reality were pulling you down. That parent you thought was just a kill joy, that pastor that you thought was always riding you will be seen clearly as the instrument of God. That teacher you despised because they always expected more from will be seen clearly as God’s assistant in your development. Eliab – saw David as a threat when in reality he was there to nourish and strengthen him. That is the test. How do you see people?
V. Don’t Go Back
Notice in verse 26, Jesus instructs the man don’t go back into the village. When you see clearly you can’t go back. You can’t go back to your comfort zone. You can’t go back to the sickness. You can’t go back to darkness. If you go back you go back! I am here to tell you, “Don’t go back.”
VI. Close
a. Some of you need to allow Jesus to take you out of your comfort zone this morning.
b. Some of you need to become secure in silence.
c. Some of you have been playing like you are whole for years. And compared to where you used to be your much better. However, you are only halfway free. You have everyone fooled but the truth is, you only see partially. The truth is men still look like trees. The truth is the first touch wasn’t enough. It is time to be honest. It is time to become dissatisfied with almost. It is time for a second touch. It is time to ask for wholeness. It is time to see clearly. It is time to refuse to settle for partial deliverance and freedom.
If you come down tonight I am praying that you will see men clearly. You will recognize those you have been hanging on to have been pulling you down. Those you have resisted who have in fact been helping you will receive them. And I am also praying that you won’t go back. You will leave here changed once and for all.
